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Hawaii missile alert: How one employee ‘pushed the wrong button’ and caused a wave of panic
Washington Post ^ | 01/15/2018 | Amy B. Wang

Posted on 01/15/2018 8:46:07 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Shortly after 8 a.m. local time Saturday, an employee at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency settled in at the start of his shift. Among his duties that day was to initiate an internal test of the emergency missile warning system: essentially, to practice sending an emergency alert to the public without actually sending it to the public.

It was a drill the agency had started with some regularity last November — around the time Hawaii reinstated its Cold War-era nuclear warning sirens amid growing fears of an attack by North Korea — and so, while the tests were not yet routine enough to be predictable, they were not entirely new either, according to an agency spokesman.

Around 8:05 a.m., the Hawaii emergency employee initiated the internal test, according to a timeline released by the state. From a drop-down menu on a computer program, he saw two options: “Test missile alert” and “Missile alert.” He was supposed to choose the former; as much of the world now knows, he chose the latter, an initiation of a real-life missile alert.

“In this case, the operator selected the wrong menu option,” HEMA spokesman Richard Rapoza told The Washington Post on Sunday.

Around 8:07 a.m., an errant alert went out to scores of Hawaii residents and tourists on their cellphones: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” A more detailed message scrolled across television screens in Hawaii, suggesting, “If you are indoors, stay indoors. If you are outdoors, seek immediate shelter in a building. Remain indoors well away from windows. If you are driving, pull safely to the side of the road and seek shelter in a building or lay on the floor.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; US: Hawaii
KEYWORDS: hawaii; hawaiimissilealert; missilealert
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Abort, Re-Fry or Flail..

The DNC has certified the safety of this drag down..

a new dialog box may be in order..


41 posted on 01/15/2018 9:28:48 AM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi - Monthly Donors Rock!!!)
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To: Sacajaweau

Could be simply a muzzie Hwaiian.(I wonder what ISIS is thinking about this Hawaiian button affair) If this were an act of terrorism it is a very successful one.


42 posted on 01/15/2018 9:35:49 AM PST by 353FMG
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To: Newbomb Turk

“Buy new sunglasses and good Whisky because that’s about all you can do.”

In the blast area, sure. Or in a full-fledged nuclear exchange.

But in a limited exchange, a simple basement with water and food for a couple weeks would be a huge deal.

Or heck a serious boat in Hawaii, similarly equipped.

Go out, full speed. Don’t look back.


43 posted on 01/15/2018 9:39:24 AM PST by Jewbacca (The residents of Iroquois territory may not determine whether Jews may live in Jerusalem)
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To: SeekAndFind

You know if this is the story that the Washington Post is pushing that something completely different happened.


44 posted on 01/15/2018 9:42:21 AM PST by MNDude (God is not a Republican, but Satan is certainly a Democrat)
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To: G Larry
We were in Maui at that moment and the family took a few minutes to gather to a common location.

Even if there was a missile, it would have been aimed at Oahu, not Maui.

45 posted on 01/15/2018 9:48:00 AM PST by Vince Ferrer
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To: SeekAndFind

This “accident” begs the question -

Why have an alert if you have not taken the time to inform the public what actions should be.

Why have an alert if a proper civil defense system has not been set up to be prepared for the aftermath of a real attack?

Why have an alert if there are no shelters prepared for people to go to?

I grew up in the 1950s - once a week we had an air raid siren go off. Because of the “duck and cover” classes we had in school I knew (even as a child) what to do if under an attack. (Would such training saved everyone? No, but I am sure many would have survived by following the simple instructions.

We also had air raid shelters in every public building as well as many private businesses.

A 20 minute window is not very big but if there was a real attack, with prior knowledge many would survive that would die because our government is incompetent (oh, that is right, Hawaii is a one party state run by Democrats - of course it is incompetent)


46 posted on 01/15/2018 9:49:18 AM PST by CIB-173RDABN (US out of the UN, UN out of the US)
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To: jimjohn

You shouldn’t.

The Hawaiian police knew it was a phony warning minutes after the warning was published. How come it took the Democrat-Communist leaders 37 minutes to retracted it? They wanted their residents to be terrified, to get angry at Trump.

Those Democrat-Communist leaders don’t care about their constituents, save how they can use them to push their agenda oppressive forward.


47 posted on 01/15/2018 9:52:54 AM PST by Lopeover ( The 2016 Election is about allegiance to the United States!)
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To: z3n
Example: [in capital bold lettering- center screen- ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO INITIATE MISSILE WARNING? Hit yes to confirm.

As some people mindlessly click through multiple prompts, I would take it a step further, and given the seriousness of such an alert, I would prompt the user for an e-signature. I would require them to re-enter their user name and password, with a certification that they are aware that they are sending such a grave alert. Make them do a little more than click an "OK" prompt.

I might even make them do one of those certification exercises where to prove "they're not a robot," make them pick out tiles that contain faces of people, before they proceed.

48 posted on 01/15/2018 9:52:54 AM PST by Lou L (Health "insurance" is NOT the same as health "care")
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To: SeekAndFind

If one employee can cause a panic by simply pushing one button by mistake, then whoever designed the system should be fired.


49 posted on 01/15/2018 9:54:18 AM PST by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: Spok

Do you work for Spok?

The reason is that there is no “event” listed as “False Alarm.” My guess is that they had to get someone in real fast to create another event, test it, and trigger it. Creating an event doesn’t take a lot of time...but getting logged in remotely and into the system could take several minutes.

This all makes sense if you’ve worked on the systems. If you think this stuff is all done manually, you are living in the past.


50 posted on 01/15/2018 9:54:22 AM PST by Vermont Lt (Burn. It. Down.)
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To: usconservative
Exactly what does it take to fire a Government employee?

Is Billy Dale available to comment? He would know.

51 posted on 01/15/2018 9:54:25 AM PST by thulldud ("What makes it news is its dissemination, not its concrete reality." -- Ellul)
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To: dirtboy

In the system I use there is an event code and password. Then there is a “hold” where you approve or change the message. And finally, you get asked if you want to do this.

It would appear that if the test is checked daily, they go through it without even looking at it.

Human error is the issue. The system just does what St supposed to.


52 posted on 01/15/2018 9:57:19 AM PST by Vermont Lt (Burn. It. Down.)
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

I think the number one qualifier on Democrat employee applications is :

1. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being competent and 10 being totally incompetent how would you rate yourself?

We all know the best thing you can be as a Democrat is a 10. Now you know the rest of the story!


53 posted on 01/15/2018 9:57:57 AM PST by Billyv (Freedom isn't Free! Get off the sidelines!)
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To: pepsionice

THAT is all automated if it is a State EM system.


54 posted on 01/15/2018 9:58:37 AM PST by Vermont Lt (Burn. It. Down.)
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To: Vince Ferrer

I made that point also, but nothing is comforting in the face of the god of the smart phone.

Also, most civilians have no concept of the limitations of a nuclear weapon.

Reason goes out the window and emotion takes over.

2 Adult children: One wanted to pack before heading to the shelter the other just wanted to fly home NOW.....

Did I mention that NOBODY seemed to be praying?


55 posted on 01/15/2018 9:58:52 AM PST by G Larry (There is no great virtue in bargaining with the Devil)
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To: Lopeover

See my #50


56 posted on 01/15/2018 10:01:03 AM PST by Vermont Lt (Burn. It. Down.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Want to bet it was an I will show Trump millennial ala Reality Winner?


57 posted on 01/15/2018 10:01:17 AM PST by databoss
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To: Vermont Lt

But the confirmation sequence should be different for the live message as opposed to the test, if that is the case. If they are the same, the user can easily just go through the motions.


58 posted on 01/15/2018 10:01:44 AM PST by dirtboy
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To: CIB-173RDABN
Grew up in the same era in Washington, D.C. Had a CD siren tower in our elementary school yard, as well as signs pointing to the basement shelter. The school had drills marching us down the stairs to fallout shelter, filled with OD painted drums.

Some of the signs we saw in every public space on field trips.


59 posted on 01/15/2018 10:02:00 AM PST by Covenantor (Men are ruled...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern. " Chesterton)
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To: redgolum

“Not sure I buy the story.”

I agree. As Rush said it could be an anti-Trump employee in Hawaii or IMHO a “deep state” operation to mess with President Trump.


60 posted on 01/15/2018 10:02:13 AM PST by Parley Baer
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